Suites, Neptune, youngsters

[Jesterscourt]

Some future passengers are worried about too many children being on board during holidays and school breaks. However, is this really an issue for those in suites with the Neptune Lounge to retreat to? Having raised our children and working with children everyday, we need a little break now and then from noise and discipline, etc. However, now that there are Youth Centers and elaborate children and teen programs aboard most ships, maybe we shouldn't worry as much about this issue. We would love nothing better than a Christmas or New Year's Panama Canal cruise next year, but keep getting warned not to go at that time because of the preponderance of families and noise. Is this really and issue for HAL suite passengers?

[Atomica]

You'll be fine :) Take those comments with a grain of salt - for some, one kid on the ship is one too many. On a Panama Canal cruise, I doubt you'd have the number of kids that something like a 7 day Eastern Caribbean might have.

[sail7seas]

You'll be fine. We have sailed over the holidays and there have been lots of children but we have never been bothered with too many kids in Neptune Lounge. If they are in "S" and "PS" cabins, they, too, have Neptune Lounge privileges but if they get out of control (which I have never seen happen), it will be 'handled'. The now and then when there is a child in there, they are usually in for just a minute to get a snack or candy or juice and are gone.....and almost always with Mom or Dad. We have never been bothered with children misbehaving in Neptune.

 

We don't 'hang around' there. We go in for coffee or snack and almost always return to our cabin to enjoy it. We almost never eat it there unless our Steward happens to be cleaning our cabin or something like that.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

We did have a bit of a problem on one cruise -- a couple of children on the Zuiderdam (not a holiday) used the Neptune lounge as their play area. Someone mentioned this to the concierge about 2 (not us) and the kids were gone. Hopefully the parents enrolled them in Club HAL.

[Suziefloozie]

We're just back from the Noordam Holidays cruise. We were in a SA suite and travelled with a 5 yr old child.

 

There were few children on this cruise (approx 50 under 12 and approx 100 teenagers). They were never a problem in the Neptune lounge. All the children who ever went in there were very well behaved.

 

IMO the NL wasn't a place to hang out, but was great for sitting whilst having a coffee and a snack.

 

Most of the younger children made use of the kids club but the older ones were a bit of a pain. Running up and down hallways and gathering on the stairs. Although they would not stop me cruising during the holiday period. We always were tucked up in bed early but a friend who cruised with us said between 1am and 3am there were large groups of teens making a nuisance of themselves most nights - where were their parents???

 

Also, we saw teens crowding in the jacuzzis but since ours was a port intensive itinerary we never used the pool. We heard a few teens got ear infections and they had all been in the pool/jacuzzi!! With regards to pools, whenever we were on the aft deck there were never any children in the aft pool and most adults preferred this although apparently the water felt very cold!!:eek:

 

IMO it depends on an individuals choice, you will see a few children around, in the NL most will be well behaved and elsewhere on the ship they will seem few and far between compared to other child orientated cruise lines.

 

Suzie

[caviargal]

We did have a bit of a problem on one cruise -- a couple of children on the Zuiderdam (not a holiday) used the Neptune lounge as their play area. Someone mentioned this to the concierge about 2 (not us) and the kids were gone. Hopefully the parents enrolled them in Club HAL.

 

 

We had issues on the Zuiderdam where young teens used the lounge to lay on the couches and watch TV instead of doing so in their cabin. There were no parents in sight on the several afternoons we found them in there and they did not move to make way for anyone else to sit.

 

I did mention to the concierge and she shook her head, saying there had been a problem and the parents had been notified but obviously did not care.

 

So, it can be an issue, unfortunately. On our other Vista cruises, it has been fine.

[Two if by Sea]

I plan to explain to my daughter that this is a quiet, adult space and that if she needs to go in alone for any reason (snacks, or help from concierge) she should treat both the space and the people in it with full respect.

 

I can't yet picture whether she WILL need to go in by herself, but I could see asking her to go over and get us a cup of tea or something like that. I think she'd appreciate the responsibility.

 

I honestly think our child would be far more likely to come and tell us about the disrespectful behavior of other kids than to engage in it herself. But of couse you never know for sure with kids, so I also plan to let the concierge know that we would appreciate hearing if there have been ANY problems we need to address.

[sail7seas]

Two If By Sea.......

 

If your child is staying in a Suite, she is more than welcome to come to Neptune Lounge. I am sure she will behave nicely and will be no problem. Wait until she sees the homemade chocolates they put out every afternoon! :) And, if she likes hot chocolate, many people really enjoy HAL's. She can get that in Neptune....along with cookies each afternoon. :)

 

Okay.... enough with the junkfood. There are also healthy choices like fresh fruit and berries. :)How old is she?

 

[Two if by Sea]

Okay.... enough with the junkfood. There are also healthy choices like fresh fruit and berries. :)How old is she?

 

 

She will be eight and a half when we sail.

 

I'm glad to hear about the fresh fruit and berries. By the fourth or fifth day, that might be enough for dinner :).

[sail7seas]

Fret not..... HAL has plenty of healthy food choices. No need to eat 'poor choices' if one doesn't want to. :)

 

Your daughter will be a great age for this cruise.

You might want to think about the Anne of Green Gables Tour in Prince Edward Island. She is probably a good age for that.

 

[Two if by Sea]

You might want to think about the Anne of Green Gables Tour in Prince Edward Island. She is probably a good age for that.

 

 

Definitely! Have you taken it? I suppose we should move this topic to another location now that we're off of Suites. But I would love to hear the details of that particular tour.

[Suziefloozie]

My daughter is nearly 6. She loved going into the NL and serving herself (with tongs of course, better than some adults who would use their fingers!!!) to a few peices of fruit and one of the "thin" choc chip cookies and a glass of juice.

 

I nearly always had my breakfast in the NL. We started out going to the Pinnacle Grill but then found it closed too early for us. When on vacation we like to have a lie in and it closed at 9.30am. Even after 9am the waiters are getting the tables ready for the lunch setting

[Deb&GarySD]

Our family celebrated Christmas and New Years on the Volendam Panama Canal cruise this year and my husband and I stayed in a suite. Guilbert, the wonderful concierge, and the Pinnacle grill staff were really kept hopping with the overbooked capacity suites. It seemed that there were multiple children in each room. Many parents found it more pleasant to feed their young children in the Neptune lounge rather than the Lido. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that as they certainly paid for the priveledge, but I would say that it puts a strain on the staff and does impact the enjoyment of other guests. There were also many parents of teens hanging out in the lounge rather than their stateroom because their teens were always using the television and DVD player. So to answer the OP's question, yes, the entire ship feels the impact of an overbooked holiday sailing carrying many children, and that includes the Neptune Lounge. But...that didn't stop us from booking the Zaandam for next Christmas and New Years.:D